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^ The Glass factory. ^
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####$^^~^, Several Centuries After It Had Last ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Finally, The Natural End Station For ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, And A Gift Shop. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, There'S A Long Time Since My Family ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Considered Poor. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Practical. On The Eastern Building, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Some Are Shattered. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Glass Of Varying Thickness. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Other Building. The Contrast Is ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Windows Are Missing A Pane. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, However, The Greatest Difference Is The ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Lit From Behind. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Of Dark Liquid glass. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Levers, Messing Them Up. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Floor. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Last Of Him Rains Down. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Become Still. ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ^^ ^^ ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ^^ ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Back At The Factory Floor, But The ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, I See There'S Something Faint Inside ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ,^~^^$####
###$^^~^,, ,,^~^^$###
####$^^~^, I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ,^~^^$####
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